I. Program Description II. Endowment-Wide Programs and Initiatives III. Award Information IV. Eligibility V. Application and Submission Information VI. Application Review VII. Award Administration Information VIII. Points of Contact IX. Other Information • Budget instructions (1-page PDF) • Budget form(1-page PDF) • Definitions of types of funding • Instructions for Individual Applicants • Frequently asked questions • Sample Application: University of Pennsylvania (31-page PDF) • Sample Application: Character Description Language Project (31-page PDF) • Sample Application: University of Mayland, Level I (16-page PDF) • Sample Application: University of Virginia, Level II (19-page PDF) • DUNS number requirement • Registration Checklist • Download the current version of Adobe Reader • How to convert documents into PDFs • Tips for Creating PDF Files in Grants.gov Applications • Grants.gov FAQs • Grants.gov customer support To obtain a printed version of these guidelines, call 202-606-8446, send an e-mail to info@neh.gov, or write to NEH, Office of Communications 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20506.

Date posted: August 22, 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.169

• research that brings new approaches or documents best practices in the study of the digital humanities;
• planning and prototyping new digital tools for preserving, analyzing, and making accessible digital resources, including libraries’ and museums’ digital assets;
• scholarship that examines the philosophical implications and impact of the use of emerging technologies;
• innovative uses of technology for public programming and education utilizing both traditional and new media; and
• new digital modes of publication facilitating the dissemination of humanities scholarship in advanced academic as well as informal or formal educational settings at all academic levels.

• projects that mainly involve digitization, unless the applicant is proposing an innovative new method for digitization;
• the implementation or assessment of existing digital applications in the humanities (however, exploration of or planning for a new direction or tool for an established project is allowed);
• recurring or established conferences or professional meetings;
• acquisition of computer equipment or software in excess of 20% of the grant total;
• creative or performing arts;
• empirical social scientific research;
• work undertaken in the pursuit of an academic degree;
• the preparation or publication of textbooks; or
• projects devoted to political, religious, commercial, or social advocacy.

1. Table of contents
   List all parts of the application and corresponding page numbers.
2. List of participants
   On a separate page, list in alphabetical order, surnames first, all project participants and collaborators and their institutional affiliations, if any. The names on this list should match the names mentioned in the staff section of the project's narrative description. The list is used to ensure that prospective reviewers have no conflict of interest with the project that they will be evaluating. This list should include advisory board members, if any.
3. Abstract
   Provide a one-paragraph (up to 1,000 characters) abstract written for a nonspecialist audience that states clearly the importance of the proposed work and its relation to larger issues in the humanities. This paragraph also may be used in the Project Information field on Application for Federal Domestic Assistance - Short Organizational (SF-424 Short) form (see below).
4. Narrative
   Applicants should provide an intellectual justification for the project and a work plan. For Level I Start-Up grants, the narrative section should not exceed three single-spaced pages. For Level II Start-Up grants, the narrative should not exceed six single-spaced pages. All pages should have one-inch margins and the font size should be no smaller than eleven point. The narrative should address the long-term goals for the project as well as the start-up activities that the Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant would support. Applicants should keep in mind the criteria (listed below) used to evaluate proposals. Applicants must state whether they are applying for a Level I or Level II grant.
Provide a detailed project description that addresses the following topics:
• Enhancing the humanities through innovation
  Provide a clear and concise explanation of the start-up activities and the ultimate project results noting their value to scholars, students, and general audiences in the humanities. Describe the scope of the project activities and the major issues to be addressed. Address how the project will take an innovative approach towards meeting its objectives.
  Applicants should provide a rationale for the compatibility of their methodological approach with the intellectual goals of the project and the expectations of its users. NEH views the use of open source software as a key component in the broad distribution of exemplary digital scholarship in the humanities. If either the start-up project or the long-term project is not predicated on generally accessible open source software, explain why and also explain how the Endowment’s dissemination goals will still be satisfied by the project.
• Environmental Scan
  Provide a clear and concise summary of an environmental scan of the relevant field. The goal of an environmental scan is to take a careful look at similar work being done in the applicant’s area of study. For example, if the applicant is developing software to solve a particular humanities problem, please discuss similar software developed for other projects and explain how the proposed solution differs. If there are existing software products that could be adapted and re-used for the proposed project, please identify them and discuss the pros and cons of taking that approach. If there are existing humanities projects that are similar in nature to the applicant’s project, please describe them and discuss how they relate to the proposed project. The environmental scan should make it clear that the applicant is aware of similar work being done in the overall landscape and should make a strong case for how the applicant’s proposed project contributes and advances the field.
• History and duration of the project
  Provide a concise history of the project, including information about preliminary research or planning, previous related work, previous financial support, publications produced, and resources or research facilities available. It is anticipated that work on projects initiated during the term of a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant will continue after the period of the grant. The applicant should describe plans for that work and probable sources of support for subsequent phases of the project.
• Work Plan
  • Describe in detail the tasks to be undertaken and the computer technology to be employed.
  • Describe the specific tasks that will be accomplished during the grant period, identify the computer technology to be employed, and identify the staff members involved. The start-up activities described in the proposal should be completed by the end of the grant period.
  • Indicate what technical resources will be required.
  • Describe plans for evaluating the results of the start-up activities. This evaluation should be simultaneously summative with regard to the Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant and formative with regard to the long-term project goals.
• Staff
  Briefly identify the project director and collaborators who would work on the project during the proposed grant period and describe their responsibilities. Project directors must devote a significant portion of their time to their projects. All persons directly involved in the conduct of the proposed project—whether or not their salaries are paid from grant funds—should be listed, their anticipated commitments of time should be indicated, and the reasons for and nature of their collaboration explained.
  If the project has an advisory board, provide a statement of its function and a list of board members in the biography section.
• Final Product and Dissemination
  Describe the plans to disseminate the project results through various media (printed articles or books, presentations at meetings, electronic media or some combination). Applicants should also discuss how the project's ultimate product is likely to be disseminated and what provisions will be made for the long-term maintenance of such a product. Applicants should discuss how their white paper will detail the activities of the project and how it could be useful to the field.
5. Project budget
   Using the instructions, complete the budget form (PDF).
   All project directors will attend a planning meeting at NEH's offices in Washington, D.C. Directors should budget accordingly for a one-day meeting in the first year of the requested grant period.
   Budget narrative (optional)
   If needed, include a brief supplement to the narrative explaining projected expenses or other items in the financial information provided on NEH's budget form. The budget narrative may be single-spaced.
   Applicants are advised to retain a copy of the PDF containing their budget form.
6. Biographies
   Include a biographies section that contains a brief, one-paragraph biography for each principal project participant. If the project has an advisory board, provide a statement of its function and a list of board members.
7. Letters of Commitment and Support
   Include letters of commitment from other participants and cooperating institutions. Include letters of support (preferably no more than two) from experts in the project’s subject area, the proposed methodology, or the technical plan.
8. Attachments
   If applicable, include wireframes, screen shots, or other project schematics. Materials in this section may not exceed 10 pages.

Register or Verify Registration with Grants.gov

1. Name of Federal Agency: This will be filled in automatically with "National Endowment for the Humanities."
2. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This will be filled in automatically with the CFDA number and title of the NEH program to which you are applying.
3. Date Received: Please leave blank.
4. Funding Opportunity Number: This will be filled in automatically.
5. Applicant Information: In this section, please supply the name, address, employer/taxpayer identification number (EIN/TIN), DUNS number, Web site address, and congressional district of the institution. Also choose the "type" that best describes your institution (you only need to select one).
   If your institution is located, for example, in the 5th Congressional District of your state, put a “5. ” If your institution doesn't have a congressional district (e.g. it is in a state or U.S. territory that doesn't have districts or is in a foreign country), put a “0 ” (zero).
   All institutions applying to federal grant programs are required to provide a DUNS number, issued by Dun & Bradstreet, as part of their application. Project directors should contact their institution’s grant administrator or chief financial officer to obtain their institution’s DUNS number. Federal grant applicants can obtain a DUNS number free of charge by calling 1-866-705-5711. (Learn more about the requirement.)
6. Project Information: Provide the title of your project. Your title should be brief, descriptive, and substantive. It should also be informative to a non-specialist audience. Provide a brief description of your project. The description should be written for a non-specialist audience and clearly state the importance of the proposed work and its relation to larger issues in the humanities. List the starting and ending dates for your project.
7. Project Director: Provide the Social Security Number, name, title, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers for the project director.
   Disclosure of Social Security Numbers at the time of application is optional. However, please note that if an application is approved for funding, an individual applicant must provide a Social Security Number to receive payment of grant funds.
8. Primary Contact/Grants Administrator: Provide the contact information for the official responsible for the administration of the grant (e.g., negotiating the project budget and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the award). This person is often a grants or research officer or a sponsored programs official. Normally, the Institutional Grants Administrator is not the same person as the Project Director. If the project director and the grant administrator are the same person, skip to item 9.
9. Authorized Representative: Provide the contact information for the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who is submitting the application on behalf of the institution. This person, often called an “Authorizing Official, ” is typically the president, vice president, executive director, provost, or chancellor. In order to become an AOR, the person must be designated by the institution ’s E-Business Point of Contact. For more information, please consult the Grants.gov user guide, which is available at: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp.

1. Project Director: Use the pull down menu to select the major field of study for the project director.
2. Institution Information: Use the pull down menu to select your type of institution.
3. Project Funding: Enter your project funding information. Note that applicants for Challenge Grants should use the right column only; applicants to all other programs should use the left column only.
4. Application Information: Indicate whether the proposal will be submitted to other NEH grant programs, government agencies, or private entities for funding. If so, please indicate where and when. NEH frequently cosponsors projects with other funding sources. Providing this information will not prejudice the review of your application.
   For Type of Application, check “new ” if the application requests a new period of funding, whether for a new project or the next phase of a project previously funded by NEH. Check “supplement ” if the application requests additional funding for a current NEH grant. If requesting a supplement, provide the current grant number (applicants should discuss their request with a NEH program officer before submitting such an application).
   For Project Field Code, use the pull down menu to select the humanities field of the project. If the project is multidisciplinary, choose the field that corresponds to the project's predominant discipline.

Applications must be received by Grants.gov by October 8, 2008.